Well,either you already know very,very well or you
have no clue at all. That's ok because we're going
to tell you all about him.

Once there was a Department store named Maison
Blanche.The store was
founded in 1897 by Isadore Newman.He was once a
penniless merchant.The store , located on Canal
St.in New Orleans(no longer in business) is now
owned by Dillards Dept.stores. It has since turned
in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel .Maison Blanche "MB"
decided that they wanted to find a special little
character to use for their advertising
purposes.Emile Alline was a display director of
Maison Blanche and employee since 1937.He had taken
a trip up to Chicago in 1947 and noticed a character
in a
department store called "Marshall Fields" called Uncle Mistletoe .He was a scraggely haired Dickenson
character.Although very different from Mr. Bingle
,that character became the inspiration for
Mr.Alline's newest creation(Mr. Bingle)Actually ,he
was first called the "Snow Doll "by Mr.
Alline.Mr.Herbert Schuartz MB President wanted the
new character to have MB in the name so thus became
Mr. Bingle. There was even a Mr. Bingle museum on
the third floor.

Mr. Alline also wanted to have special Christmas
puppet and marionette shows in the huge dress
display windows, so he found a man named Edwin
Harmon "Oscar" Isentrout who was a master puppeteer
in New Orleans working in the French Quarter at the
time.He was named "Oscar" according to some because
someone started calling his shows "Oscar and the
little Woodenheads."Mr. Isentrout was also the
voice,movement and
some say the spirit of Mr. Bingle.Together they
worked together to bring these special shows to New
Orleans area year after year for like 37 years since
1948 and
Mr. Bingle became infinitely famous.Oscar once had
this to say about his little friend:They cannot divide
him or the Christmas cheer he spreads. They just
keep multiplying him.Now there's a'lot more of Mr.
Bingle to go around
When you saw Mr.
Bingle downtown,you knew Christmas was near and it
was difficult not to say Mr. Bingle and Christmas in
the same sentence. This special little character's snowman body was adorably adorned with an ice
cream cone hat, candy cane in hand, red ribbon with
bells and holly wings.The holly wings were so he
could fly.He
was created as Santa's helper.His voice was the most
magical of all.He had a characteristically high
pitched squeekey ,raspey voice that captured the
hearts of many a child and adult alike.

Eventually Mr. Bingle had his own little tv show
locally and was on the radio .Remember Rose Mae and
Penquin Pete?.Mr. B also appeared as a guest on
other TV programs,and made frequent visits to
Children's Hospital to bring cheer and hope to many
sick or terminally ill children. He was our first
local childrens tv hero in a time when anything that
moved on our one television channel was
breathtaking!
It was an era of simpler things and all the high
tech gadgets of today were not even fathomed
yet.Kids were content and ecstatic if they got one
doll, a pair of skates or a toy train.Try that
today!Mr. Bingle also made an appearance one year at
the Citrus Bowl in Florida in 1989 and has appeared
according to my research at the White House.

Every year parents would bring their children
downtown to see the puppet shows.We inched our way
through the crowd and pressed our noses up against
the thick cold glass to get a quick glimpse of our
hero ,then it was off to see the most authentic
Santa on the 3rd floor of MB and probably get your
picture taken.. Mr. Bingle has his own jingle song
and there is even a story about Mr. Bingle and Santa
and how he came to be.It became a New Orleans
southern tradition. He is not on Canal Street any
more however. He has moved to the suburbs and
those big shopping centers that crept seemingly
overnight like something out of a science fiction
movie.Then stores began multipling and began
appearing
everywhere. When Mercantile stores bought them out
years previous,he was also used at a store called
Lowensteins in Memphis,Tenn. They also had a
television show with him for many years.I know he
was also in some stores in Florida.He may have
journeyed to
more places but that's all I know about so far. Mr.
Bingle is a New Orleans cultural icon as famous as
Mardi Gras,Red Beans and Rice,Gumbo,and Beignets.If
you grew up in New Orleans there is no way that you
cannot know who he is and was.Mr. Bingle has
impacted many childrens lives who are now grownups
and is still sending his special Christmas message
to a newer generation.

There was a huge Mr.Bingle paper mache figure that
also hung outside the building every year .It
measured approxiamately 50 feet tall and 35 feet wide
mitten tip to mitten tip .It took two huge flat cars
to move him from Chicago where he was created to his
new home in New Orleans.He was first mounted on the
Maison Blanche Building in November,1949.

Once Santa and Mr. Bingle made a grand entrance
appearance on Canal St. via helicopter.It was quite
a spectacle.The police went zooming everywhere.It
appeared they didn't know that they couldn't fly so
low in a commercial district.Then one day after
years and years , this huge Mr. Bingle fell and
pieces of him went everywhere,as far as I know no
one was hurt,but New Orleanians were deeply
saddened.He was replaced eventually but his new look
was not exactly the same one we always remembered,
but we continued to love him nevertheless.

There were many stuffed plush dolls,jewelry,candy
boxes,puppets and soap with Mr. Bingle.There was
also clothing with his special icon,and lots
more.The dolls especially; went through many changes
over the years but I'll get into dolls and
memorabilia later. There is nothing especially
elaborate about him.He didn't light up,was not
especially talented or anything dazzling,but to
many of us who grew up with him; he was our hero.He
represented a slower ,kinder,more gentler time in
our wonderful city we call New Orleans and we will
always remember him; especially at Christmas time!

Saddly Mr. Isentrout" Oscar" is no longer with us.He
passed away in 1985 at the age of 61.He pulled the
strings for many years bringing his character to
life and creating smiles and joy. He did not however
allow the strings to get pulled on him if he could
help it.He was his own private, quiet kinda person
,who gained happiness through the simpler things in
life and not being in the spotlight. He was content
being behind the scenes,doing his job and probably
feeling very good about it. I think he smiled during
the era when Mr. Bingle the marionette and dolls had no mouth
and could not smile for themselves.Thanks Oscar! You
are missed!

Emile Alline Sr.,also a very special man who also
dedicated most of his life work to MB and the
creation of Mr. Bingle and his family is also not
with us.He prided
himself on all of his work and his many creations
and inventions.He loved talking about Mr. Bingle and
cherished him till the end.He was born
November,27,1917 and died December 6, 1998 .He was
81 years old and we will miss him also! Thank You
for creating Mr.Bingle!

written by: Lauren Brown

If you would like to make a voluntary 2.00
contribution to help support this site.It would be
appreciated.If so click here .All contributions above that go
to the Spirit of Mr. Bingle Tree Program.
The Spirit of Mr. Bingle Tree Program each year at
Dillards helps provide toys to underpriveleged
children.It is put on by the Salvation army.I am not a
non -profit organization but I do participate in the
tree program and will publish on the site after
Christmas what was made possible by the efforts of
this fan club site contributors.This is strickly
voluntary.Or you make go to Dillards and participate
yourself if you like.Keep checking local New Orleans
paper for dates of this event.I believe it is in
November and I'll keep you posted on the message
board.